Our
atmosphere is made up of several layers of various
gases, predominantly nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%), held in place by
the earth's gravity. It supports life and protects us from meteors and
harmful elements of the sun's rays.

Immediately above the earth's surface is the
Troposphere, which varies in depth from around just 7km at the poles to
a maximum of 17km in the tropics. This is a warm, dense, moist and
turbulent
layer containing more than 90% of our atmosphere's mass. Immediately
above this is the Stratosphere, a dry, thin, stable band approx 40 km
deep, where the temperature is around −60°C.
At the top of this is the ozone layer. Ozone is a rich, unstable form
of oxygen
which at ground level is a pollutant, harmful to breathe, but at high
altitude provides a protective layer which filters out much of what
would otherwise be harmful
ultraviolet light. Above this is the Mesosphere, a band approx. 35km
deep in which most meteors burn up as what we see at night as shooting
stars.
Temperature at the top is around −100°C.
In the Thermosphere above, which is several hundred km deep,
temperature rises with height. It is in this region that auroras occur
in the polar regions. They are the result of charged particles of solar
wind being deflected by the earth's magnetic field towards the poles.

The
impact of mankind on our global environment is reaching crisis
point. Industrialization, urbanization and the vast areas set aside for
raising cattle and for the cultivation of mono crops has destroyed much
of the world's ecosystems and the diversity of life they once
supported. A significant side effect of all this is the massive
amount of carbon dioxide (CO2)
being released into the atmosphere from the
burning of fossil fuel. We now talk about our 'carbon footprint', i.e.
the amount of carbon produced by each of us individuals going about our
daily
activities - using electricity, driving motor vehicles, flying on
passenger
jets etc. It has been calculated that an average western family living
in a modest home consumes enough power and fuel to release in excess of
one ton of carbon into the air each year. It is widely believed in
scientific circles that this is causing what is
commonly referred to as the 'greenhouse effect', whereby not enough of
the heat
received by the
earth from the sun is able to escape our
atmosphere, bringing about a gradual warming of the planet.

There
are those who argue that oxygen is the principle greenhouse gas
and they are quite right. However, the amount of oxygen in our
atmosphere remains remarkably constant. Even though the other
greenhouse
gasses
such as methane and carbon dioxide amount to less than 1% of our
atmosphere, it is the sudden and rapid increase
in the release of
these gases
in recent decades that appears to be causing an imbalance that could,
if not
checked,
jeopardize mankind's future survival on this planet.

In
Sir David Attenborough's 2006 documentary - The Truth about Climate Change, he
informs us that 'There is more
carbon
dioxide in our atmosphere today than there has been at any time during
the last 650 million years!'

Carbon dioxide is evenly spread throughout the atmosphere. Since
measurements of the carbon dioxide
content
in the atmosphere began in 1948, it's concentration has increased by
almost 30%... in just 60 years! Under normal conditions
gases like carbon
dioxide help
to stabilize the earth's temperature and climate,
maintaining conditions of minimal temperature fluctuation and heat loss
necessary for the diversity of life on earth to flourish and evolve.
Emission levels over the past few decades are believed to be
responsible for a monitored average
increase in the global temperature of a
little over 0.6°C.
This may not sound like a lot, but being the average means that some
places may have
in fact got colder, whilst others, like for instance the Arctic, have
warmed by more than 3°C,
as evidenced by melting icebergs and receding glaciers.

The debate over whether global warming is man-made is now over, with
consensus throughout the scientific world that it most certainly is,
despite the multi-million dollar 'denial' campaign funded by corporate
interests for short term financial gain. We may very well have already
passed the point of no return! The most overwhelming evidence
comes from the examination of ice cores drilled in the polar regions,
which hold a record of both temperature and carbon dioxide (CO2) content of the air for many thousands of years. The graph below, explained in the recent documentary Earth - The Operator's Manual shows how, over the past four hundred thousand years, the earth has gone through four cycles of cooling and warming. It illustrates the co-relationship throughout that period between the temperature and CO2 content in the atmosphere, which until recent times had never exceeded 288 parts per million. Since the time of the Industrial Revolution CO2
content has continued to rise until reaching today's level of more than
380 parts per million. Is it not logical to expect the temperature to
continue to rise proportionately. Can we afford to ignore this clear
warning?

Weather systems are becoming larger and more extreme, as we have seen
in the severity of recent cyclones and hurricanes
battering Japan, Taiwan and the Gulf coast of the U.S.A. and in late 2012 New York City. When Hurricane
Katrina devastated 100 miles of U.S.A.'s southern coastline in 2005,
the sea surface temperature in the Gulf of Mexico was at the highest
level ever recorded. Even in tiny
Dominica,May 2009 - the height of the 'dry season' - saw serious flooding of rivers, followed in the first week of September by Tropical Storm Erika, which caused the worst flooding ever of rivers in the east. In October 2011,
Tropical Storm Ophelia did the same to rivers along the west coast, washing vehicles off roads and damaging buildings - at
the village of Massacre, a historic stone building which had been
converted into a nightclub was destroyed, leaving little else but a
chimney. Our rivers are flooding with a severity not witnessed before
and in between, the dry spells are lasting longer. During the first four months of 2010, the whole
East Caribbean region endured severe drought conditions. Many
islands introduced restrictions on the use of water and even
Dominica, which generates its own rainfall due to its high
mountain peaks and ridges, had rivers running dry, even in the
forested highlands.

Rising sea
temperatures are causing whole coral reefs (and the diversity of marine
life they support) to die - a rise of just 2°C
for a sustained period is all that is necessary. In the polar regions,
the white, reflective surface of the ice caps is receding, giving
way to dark, heat absorbent sea surface. Massive herds of flatulent
cattle being raised for the hamburger industry and melting permafrost
across the
Tundra belt is releasing substantial quantities of methane, a
greenhouse gas at least 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. All in
all, this could well trigger the beginning of a 'domino' effect which,
once
underway, may prove
impossible to arrest.

Scientific
studies
show that even if we completely stopped all CO2 emissions
today, the amount of this gas already in the atmosphere will cause the
global temperature to continue rising for at least the next 30 years.
These studies also show that if we allow current levels of CO2
emissions
to continue, the rise in global temperature will continue to
accelerate to a projected 6°C
increase in just a few decades! If this is allowed to happen, the
effect of the altered climatic conditions on
our human habitats and food sources will
be
one of utter devastation. The frozen waters of the icecaps and
glaciers are above sea level. The ice over Antarctica is 2 miles deep!
As the melting continues the sea level
will also continue to rise, threatening many areas of coastal
settlement
around the globe. It is now estimated by the scientific community that
by the end of this century it will have risen 6 feet and will continue
rising at an ever increasing pace - see BBC documentary Earth Under Water.

Question - What are we
doing about it?
Answer - Absolutely nothing!

Fiddling
whilst Rome burns??? We have witnessed a series of
international conferences, conventions and annual world summit meetings
on the subject of climate change/ global warming throughout the last two decades, the
most recent of
which were staged in Copenhagen in December 2009, Cancun 2010, Durban 2011, Rio 2012, Warsaw 2013, Lima 2014 and Paris 2015.

Result
- a lot of
talk. Action NIL. Commitment NIL. There is, of course, a reason for
this inaction. Whilst we look to our democratically elected leaders to chart the
course we all want, their masters are not the voters, but the super
rich multinational corporations, who's agents patrol the corridors of
power at all levels, simply buying the support they need. Predominant
among these are the giant oil companies and power generating companies
which rely heavily on the continued burning of fossil fuel to maintain
their super profits. Politicians and civil servants are in their
pockets and
scientists are paid
to
dismiss scientific evidence as mere theory. They
orchestrate campaigns of misinformation to frustrate any attempts to
make changes. For example, the giant oil company Exxon has for several
years been engaged in a multi-million dollar advertising campaign
to promote inaction on climate change. Whilst there appears to be an
online debate going on, I.T. companies are employed to distort these
through a process known as 'astroturfing',
wherebylarge
numbers of fake
bloggers are introduced to
create the false
impression
of grassroots support.
The situation is unlikely
to change voluntarily. Our best hope is to make a unanimous appeal to
those controlling the
corporations to see sense and themselves take the initiative, for it is
their grandchildren who will inherit the same impoverished planet as
our own grandchildren.

The first Earth Summit was held in Rio in 1992, attended by over 100
world leaders. The most poignant address to this gathering was given by a
12 year old Canadian girl, Severn Cullis-Suzuki, lasting just 6 minutes
- watch (26 million views on YouTube in just 5 years).

20
years later, at the Rio+20 Earth Summit, 17 year old Brittany Trilford
from New Zealand makes another passionate plea to our world leaders, who
do not appear to grasp the implications of inaction upon future generations - watch. Rio+20 summary by Severn's Dad on Democracy Now!.

April 2014 update
The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) was founded in
1988 by the the United Nations Environmental Program and the World Meteorological Organization to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the
current state of knowledge on climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts.

Its data is collated by
thousands of scientists from 195 member countries. It has just released
its 5th comprehensive report, affirming that global warming IS happening and that it IS
man made. Since 1850 each decade has been warmer than the
one before. The continuing effects of an almost 50% increase in the carbon content of our atmosphere since the beginning of the
industrial revolution are: melting
glaciers, warming and
acidification of the oceans, dying coral reefs, rising sea levels,
effects on the pattern and flow of ocean currents, increased scale and
intensity of weather systems,
an increase
in the frequency and magnitude of weather related natural disasters, an
increase in both flooding and desertification, extinction of species now
at a rate of over 200 a day, a decline in the reliability of growing
staple food crops, along with health threatening atmospheric pollution.

This is yet another WAKE UP CALL,
which our
governments should treat
with the urgency it deserves. Climate change is affecting every
continent, impacting upon the lives of everyone. It is often the poorest
nations that are most adversely affected and least equipped to prepare
for natural disasters or to repair the damage in the aftermath. The USA
is the largest
contributor of
greenhouse gas emissions, both past and present, yet is the most
reluctant to implement the measures necessary to reduce emissions. It is
itself suffering severe consequences - Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy
interrupted power and water supplies and displaced thousands, tornados
have destroyed whole towns, wheat and corn production have been reduced
by drought, forest fires are more widespread and last winter the polar
vortex extended as far south as Florida, inflicting bitterly cold
weather on areas unprepared. Communities around the world are already
beginning to demand compensation for the damage inflicted upon them by
those responsible for climate change. This trend can only intensify as
further destruction is inflicted by extreme weather conditions around
the globe. This burden should fall less on countries and more on the
multinational corporations which value short term profit above the
health and well-being of the planet and which have spent millions in campaigns to discredit the scientific evidence.

One salient point the scientists keep reminding us of is that the full
effects of the carbon emissions we create take between 30 and 40 years
to fully manifest themselves. This implies that even if we were to halt
all carbon emissions right now, the global warming and related changes
in our climatic conditions that we are currently witnessing would
continue for that period of time. The rapidly melting Arctic glaciers
are soon expected to interrupt the Atlantic gulf stream, resulting in a
fall in European temperatures leading to another ice age for the region,
even as the average global temperatures continue to climb. This could
change the pattern of the ocean's conveyor belt currents around the
globe, the effects of which we can only speculate.

September 2015 update:
Methane is a greenhouse gas at least 25 times more potent than Co2.
Since the turn of the century the 'dash for gas' has seen vast areas of
the United States, Australia, parts of Europe, South Africa and many
more places not
widely reported opened up to fracking. Not only has this industry left in its
wake a trail of environmental degradation, contamination of underground
water, earthquakes, scarred landscapes, illness and death, but it has
also released into the atmosphere
vast quantities of methane, even from successfully drilled wells (a
great many fail). This sudden increased emittance of methane over the past 15
years emanating from the fracking industry must surely dwarf that resulting from melting permafrost and flatulent
cattle. The fracking assault has now arrived in Great Britain. Despite
being unprofitable withe the price of oil below US$75 per barrel (it is
currently around US$45), Britain's Prime Minister, David Cameron, is
aggressively pursuing the fracking agenda, everywhere that is except
in his own small constituency, where he has imposed a fracking ban! In
much of America and in Queensland Australia, the stealth of this
industry caught the public napping. A more informed public across the
UK, however, has seen a swelling number of community protest groups
attempting to resist this fracking invasion of their cherished
countryside, with some measure of success - so far.

With
each month of 2015 so far being the hottest on record, climate related
disasters are on the increase globally. In August 2015 tiny Dominica
was on the receiving end as the second Tropical Storm Erika in 6 years, just a category 3, dumped
more rain in a short space of time than has ever before been witnessed
- 15 inches in less than 12 hours! Every river and stream became a
raging torrent, causing extensive damage to communities bordering
rivers. It washed away roads and bridges, cars and trees and triggered
many landslides, literally dissecting the entire island.

March 2016: Evidence of global warming continues into 2016
as February was reported to be the hottest month ever recorded. The
problem was exacerbated further by a methane gas leak from the USA's
second largest underground storage facility at Porter Ranch where, from
late October 2015, more than 94,000 metric tons of methane spewed into
the atmosphere over a period of 111 days. Porter Ranch is a community
of approx. 35,000 people and is locate just 25 miles north west of Los
Angeles. Methane is invisible to the naked eye and could only be seen
via infra-red photography. SoCal, the private contractor tasked with
managing this facility was reported to have removed a faulty valve then
failed to replace it. The local community and their pets began falling
sick and had to evacuate the area. Though the leak has now been capped,
the area is left contaminated as soil, water, clothes and furnishings
remain impregnated.

A move away from the burning of fossil fuel in favour of harnessing the
vast resources of eco friendly renewable energy available to us
is inevitable in the long run. The sooner we begin the process on a
global scale, the sooner we can regain some hope of rescuing the earth
for the survival and enjoyment of our descendants. Energy companies,
aerospace companies and
motor car
manufacturers are uniquely positioned to take advantage of this trend
by acting NOW!
The first corporations to mass produce solar powered
motor vehicles and passenger jets, to move more rapidly towards solar,
wind and
hydro generated power plants, will be the ones to corner and monopolize
this inevitable future marketplace. Not until the next climatic
catastophy
devastates another population centre, just like Katrina did to
Louisiana in 2005,
might the panic reaction of governments be to take measures that
should be in place already - like imposing and enforcing hefty taxes on
all carbon emissions, then the competitive edge of those companies that
have gone green will pay handsome dividends for their shareholders.

All countries, all corporations, should grasp the initiative to kick
start the process now, thus positioning themselves for maximum benefit.
Even the tiny island nation of Dominica is uniquely placed to take
advantage of this 'new world' scenario by becoming a regional leader in
the development, showcasing and marketing of renewable energy products
and methods
appropriate to our georaphic location and climate.
Already we produce almost 50% of our power from hydro. A
few windmills in the mountain passes or a solar station in the rain
shadow part of our mid west coast could easily transform that figure to
100%. Geothermal energy is also a possibility and EU funded studies are
already
underway in the south of the island with a view to harnessing this free
power source and possibly even exporting some of it to neighbouring
Martinique. Individuals also
need encouragement to install private solar and/or wind generating
systems by tax concessions and the reverse metering system already
being practiced in some European countries and now also being
considered in some of our neighbouring islands.

Congratulations to our Prime Minister, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit who, on
December 18th 2009, secured an increased majority for his Labour Party,
going on to win the elections again on December 8th 2014. We Dominicans
are optimistic that he
will recognize the amazing opportunities that exist to move Dominica
forward in ways that utilize the free power that mother nature has
bestowed on
our island, whilst at the same time preserving and protecting our
island's inheritance - it's natural beauty and
integrity. Achieving this goal will send an important message to the
rest of the world - that if a small, poor, independent nation like
Dominica can reduce it's CO2
emissions to near zero, illustrating a maturity and commitment not just
to Dominicans but to the world as a whole - then they too can achieve
the same. Dominica has long been regarded as the 'Nature Island of the
Caribbean'. It is truly an emerald gem in a region were tourism and
urban expansion are taking their toll on the environment. Today, the
issue is about good stewardship, exploiting this wonderful slice of
nature whilst at the same time nurturing and protecting it for our
future generations of Dominicans and their visitors to enjoy.

tropical storm Ophelia, Sep 2011 caused severe flooding in western Dominica
Unusually wet weather in April 2013 (dry season) caused this
section of road to collapse in Dominica's interior causing the death of a young
footballer and the national team coach when their vehicle tumbled in

The
Truth About Climate Change DVD - BBC 2006
In this 2 part documentary, Sir David Atteborough undertakes a personal
journey to discover how global warming is changing the planet he knows
so well., finding out what's causing it and whether mankind is to blame.

Sir
David Attenborough has devoted his entire life to the study,
documentation and filming of our planet's natural wonders and
diversity. The many incredible BBC telvision documentaries he has made
have enriched our lives and educated us from the comfort of our own
homes.
Opposite are some of those now readily available on dvd.

The Age of Stupid 2008
In
this cinema released film, set in the year 2055, the presenter looks
back from an impoverished planet, ravaged by the effects of climate
change and asks why, when the obvious was staring us in the face, we
chose not to take the necessary action to save our global environment.

Earth
Story DVD - BBC 2008
In this 8 part documentary, Professor Aubrey Manning takes us on a
voyage of discovery to locations all over the world as he attempts to
unravel the secrets of our planet and the life it sustains.

An
Inconvenient Truth DVD - Paramount Classics 2006
In this 93 minute documentary, former U.S.A. Vice President, Al
Gore, presents an eye-opening and compelling view of the future of our
planet. This wake-up call cuts through the myths and misconceptions to
deliver a stark warning about global warming. Website: climate crisis

All available from

online store for
books and
dvd's

Please note that some of the above dvd documentaries are available only
in region 2 (Britain and Europe) format. Those in North America or
elsewhere will
require a multi region dvd player or a pc media program with region 2
decoder.

State
of the Planet DVD - BBC 2000
In this 3 part documentary, Sir David Atteborough looks at
rainforest destruction, global warming, extinction of species, rising
sea levels and drought. Our actions over the next 100 years will
determine the future of life on earth.

EARTH
- The Power of the Planet DVD - BBC 2008
In this 5 part documentary, scientist Dr. Ian Stewart takes us
around
the globe to examine volcanos, the atmosphere, ice and the oceans, the
four active elements which shape the world on which we live. He then
looks at the impact of mankind, a recent development in the earth's
history.

Darwin's
Dangerous Idea DVD - BBC 2009
In this 3 part documentary, Andrew Marr takes us on the voyage of
Charles Darwin, as he uncovered the secrets of the evolution of life on
earth, then examines some of the gross misinterpetations of Darwin's
ideas that followed with drastic consequenses for mankind.
2009 celebrated the 150th aniversary of the publication of Darwin's
controversial Theory of Evolution according to Natural Selection, which
changed forever our understanding of ourselves and the world we all
inhabit.

The Centre for
Alternative Technology is located near the town of Machynlleth, Wales,
U.K., where it educates visitors by demonstrating an array of
environmentally friendly methods of generationg power, fertlizing our
crops and caring for our environment.

June 2010 saw the
opening of it's new facility WISE (Wales Institute for Sustainable
Education) and the launch of a new website dedicated to persuading both
the general public and Britain's policy makers that a zero carbon
Britain is both desirable and achievable by the year 2030.

Safe
Haven Real Estate is
the most professional and successful realtor in Dominica. Based
on the UK model, it has a retail outlet, inhouse lawyer, core of
permanent staff and a website which is updated
daily.